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MISSION TRAILS

DESIGN DISTRICT ORDINANCE

AND DESIGN MANUAL

DRAFT October 2010

Printed on recycled paper.

This information, or this document (or portions thereof), will be made available in alternative formats upon request.

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MISSION TRAILS DESIGN DISTRICT

The following amendments have been incorporated into this March 2007 Month 2011 posting of

this Plan:

Amendment

Date Approved

by Planning

Commission

Resolution

Number

Date Adopted

by City Council

Resolution

Number

Mission Trails Design

District

-- -- August 10, 1981 O-15566NS

Revisions approved

for design guidelines

and boundary changes

July 24, 2003 3403 September 23,

2003

R-298405

Revisions approved

for San Diego River

Park Master Plan

language for

Subarea 3

--2011 -- --2011 R---

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MAYOR Dick Murphy

CITY COUNCIL Scott Peters

Michael Zucchet

Toni Atkins

Charles Lewis, III

Brian Maienschein

Donna Frye

Jim Madaffer

Ralph Inunza

CITY ATTORNEY Casey Gwinn

CITY MANAGER Michael T. Uberaga

PLANNING COMMISSION Anthony Lettieri

Barry Schultz

Kathleen Garcia

Bruce Brown

Mark Steele

Carolyn Chase

Gil Ontai

CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT S. Gail Goldberg, Planning Director

Betsy McCullough, Deputy Director

Robert Manis, Program Manager

Lesley Henegar, Program Manager

Leo De Jesus, Principal Engineering Aide

Bryon Frohn, Senior Drafting Aide

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Subarea 1..........................................................................................................................3

Subarea 2..........................................................................................................................4

Subarea 3..........................................................................................................................4

DESIGN MANUAL

All Subareas......................................................................................................................7

Subarea 1 - Opportunity Areas........................................................................................10

Subarea 2 - Hillside Areas...............................................................................................13

Subarea 3 - Mission Gorge and San Diego River Areas.................................................31

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INTRODUCTION

The Mission Trails Design District Ordinance and Design Manual covers some 2,000 acres

adjacent to Mission Trails Regional Park within the Navajo, Tierrasanta and East Elliott

communities. The Master Development Plan for Lake Murray, Cowles and Fortuna

Mountains Regional Park (now Mission Trails Park) provided the direction for the

preparation of this ordinance and design manual by calling for design guidelines to control

development in the sensitive areas around the Park.

The Mission Trails Design District is comprised of three subareas:

SUBAREA 1

Opportunity Areas include the commercially and multifamily residentially zoned sections of

the District which could potentially redevelop according to existing zoning and the adopted

community plan.

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SUBAREA 2

Hillside Areas include steep, undeveloped hillsides presently under the HR (Hillside Review)

Overlay zone, as well as undeveloped non-HR zoned areas contiguous to the Regional Park

and HR areas.

SUBAREA 3

Mission Gorge and San Diego River Areas include portions of Mission Gorge adjacent to the Park

along the San Diego River.

Design guidelines have been prepared for each subarea to assist in evaluating new

development. Because most of the district is or will be developed for residential use, the

design guidelines are primarily intended to assist in the evaluation of new residential

development.

The guidelines developed for Subarea 1, which is primarily a commercial and multifamily

residential zoned area, are designed to ensure that new development should not radically

change the existing character of the surrounding neighborhood. Major concerns are the bulk,

scale and height of new development.

Guidelines for Subarea 2, which is primarily the steep undeveloped hillside areas adjacent to the

Park, are basically concerned with the impacts associated with hillside development and attendant

grading.

The guidelines for Subarea 3 are most concerned with protecting the visual linkages to and from

the park in the Mission Gorge area and implementing the San Diego River Park Master Plan

Design Guidelines.

The design guidelines will be used by the Planning Department in evaluating the impact and

compliance of all new development projects and permit requests within the District.

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DESIGN MANUAL

ALL SUBAREAS

The following design principles apply to all subareas within the Mission Trails Design

District:

POLICY: NEW DEVELOPMENT SHOULD RELATE TO THE PARK AND EXISTING

LANDSCAPING IN THE PARK.

A. New developments shall maintain contiguous public access immediately adjacent to the

park edge or boundaries.

1) In a conventional subdivision, rear property lines shall not be permitted contiguous to

the park boundary. Access roads or bike paths could buffer park from private yard.

Wherever possible, pathways should provide linkages to trails within the park.

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2) In a Planned Residential Development, common recreational/open space areas shall

abut the park boundary. Private property lines shall not be permitted within 20 feet of

the park's edge or boundary.

B. New development immediately abutting the park should provide open space linkages,

bike/pedestrian (and equestrian if in East Elliott) access to the park.

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C. New landscaping should

complement the park's

existing plant palette in

terms of color and shape

to create a landscaping

transition between the

park and the built

environment as well as

serve as a visual extension

of the park. Every

landscape plan shall

include a design statement

explaining how the

landscape plan relates to

the Regional Park plant

environment.

D. Architectural materials and colors for new development should be designed to blend into

the natural backdrop of the Mission Trails Regional Park to provide a transition from the

park. Architectural materials should be chosen to complement the Regional Park

environment, and natural materials such as flagstone, river rocks, wood and tile should be

considered for a portion of the facade. Architectural colors for exterior facades should be

chosen from the color palette of the natural soil, rocks and plant life from the Regional

Park. Extreme color selections should be avoided. Exterior accent colors should be

chosen from the existing park environment.

E. No structure shall exceed four stories or 50 feet in height, including screening of

mechanical equipment.

F. Citywide Wireless Communication Facilities Policy 600-43. The Citywide

Communications Facilities Policy should be applied to the Mission Trails Design District

with the following additional guidelines and considerations.

1) Screening - All wireless communication facilities should be fully screened from

public view. The screening should be in the form of appropriate facade materials

when the facility will be installed as part of a building, or adequately screened by

landscaping when it will be free standing.

2) Landscaping - Landscaping should be used to screen the wireless communications

facility equipment proposal when necessary to minimize the visual impact of the

equipment. Vertical evergreen trees should be part of the proposal to screen the

equipment.

3) Views to the Park - Any new Wireless Communication Facility should be constructed

to maximize public views to the park, without creating new obstructions in the view

shed.

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SUBAREA 1 - OPPORTUNITY AREAS

The following design principles apply to Subarea 1 of the Mission Trails Design District:

POLICY: THE SCALE OF NEW BUILDINGS SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE

EXISTING CHARACTER OF THE REGIONAL PARK.

A. Relate the height of new buildings to the height of existing development.

The relationship between areas of low-profile buildings and areas of taller or more

visually prominent buildings can be made more compatible if the transition in building

height is gradual.

Exceptionally tall buildings immediately adjacent to low buildings usually create

problems such as excessive shadows, undesirable wind tunnels, lack of privacy and view

blockage.

B. Tall buildings should occur closest to centers of activity and community services to

encourage economic, energy and transportation efficiency and express the functional

importance of these centers.

C. Building size should be scaled to human proportion and articulated to reflect a diversity

of facade elements. For example, a group of apartments should not present a bulky,

monolithic appearance against the parkscape.

Example: Properly articulated buildings tend to blend well into their natural surroundings.

Example: Slab structures tend to dominate and obscure the natural surroundings.

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D. A building that does not share either a similar height or profile with adjoining structures

should mitigate disruptive effects to a neighborhood by incorporating features of adjacent

buildings.

1) Decorative features of adjacent buildings can make a new building appear a part of

the contiguous theme.

2) A false front or parapet can partially disguise a building's height and give a

harmonious profile with adjacent buildings.

E. The appearance of bulk in a structure should be mitigated by means of at least one and

preferably a combination of the following factors so as to produce the impression of an

aggregate of parts rather than a single building mass.

1) Major variations in the planes of wall surfaces, in either height or depth, that

significantly alter the mass.

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2) Use of angled walls, and asymmetrical patterns of setbacks, use of pronounced

faceting, carving or sculpturing techniques to avoid a square, boxy or flat silhouette.

3) The horizontal dimension of the plane of wall surface should not exceed 50 percent of

the total dimension of the adjacent lot line.

4) Building surfaces should be articulated and textured to reduce their apparent size.

Buildings can be articulated with canopies, balconies, terraces, cornices, small

windows and other architectural details. Buildings can be textured by using different

materials, colors or facades to produce separate elements.

a. Treat upper floors so that they actually, or seem to, set back and recede.

b. Smaller architectural elements: Windows, cornices and other details

should be not much larger than they would be on a single-family house.

F. All parking should be enclosed or underground.

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SUBAREA 2 - HILLSIDE AREAS

The following design principles apply to Subarea 2 of the Mission Trails Design District:

POLICY: HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT SHOULD RETAIN THE NATURAL

CHARACTER OF THE LAND.

A. LAND PREPARATION/SITE PLANNING

1) Standard prepared pads (cut and fill grading) resulting in a terraced hillside and

extensive removal of natural groundcover shall not be permitted.

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2) Where workable and appropriate, retaining walls should considered as an alternative

to banks of cut and fill.

3) In steep terrain, plan buildings to fit into the hillside rather than altering the hillside to

fit the buildings.

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4) Grading should be contoured to preserve the natural landform, and facilitate planting

and maintenance.

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5) Altered natural land should be replanted with erosion retardant cover.

6) Man-made banks should avoid straight and unnatural slope faces.

Example: Vary slope increments.

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7) Only clustered development and structures that adjust to steep terrain shall be

permitted.

Clustering usually allows more units on a site than a conventional development on the

same site, but development will be concentrated on the least sensitive land. The

excessive economic and social cost of developing steep, ecologically sensitive, or

scenic land can be avoided.

8) No development should be permitted on the crest of a hill or along a ridge.

Only low-profile development should be allowed on canyon rims or ridges. Such

development should be sensitively designed to fit in with the hillside and not be

visually prominent.

9) Where it is impossible to avoid developing the crest of a hill or ridge, landscaping

should be used to soften the visual impact of development.

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10) Hillside development shall not be permitted on slopes 50 percent or greater. The

clustering concept should be applied to avoid those slopes.

11) The following cluster development concepts should be considered for hillsides:

a. Development set into the contours of the hillside complementing the land's

natural character.

b. Multiple "step down" development on existing slopes, maximizing views and

opportunities to design rooftops as private outdoor spaces.

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c. Unconventional structures with foundation adapted to the hillside conditions.

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12) Lots and structures should be oriented towards views and vistas of Mission Trails

Park. For example, lots should be oriented at right angles to the contour lines in a

staggered fashion instead of at right angles to the streets.

13) Utilize for community or public land use those portions of the hillsides most exposed

to public view, or from which the widest views are possible.

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14) Site major structures to show only a portion of themselves beyond the hill's brow or

profile when viewed from important roads.

15) Do not obscure the hillside foot at the end of streets perpendicular to Mission

Trails Park, with the exception as outlined in #16 below.

16) Only buildings of significance to the entire community should be allowed at the

ends of streets perpendicular to Mission Trails Park.

17) Where the available building area is limited by topography, and/or in order to provide

better views from proposed structures, flexible siting techniques should be utilized.

More specifically, the sizes and shapes of lots, and setback requirements shall be

permitted to vary from the requirements of the underlying zone. No minimums shall

be required except where "panhandle" lots are included in the development. The

minimum width of corridor should be 20 feet, and the maximum length, 150 feet.

Such corridor shall be part of the panhandle lot.

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18) Do not exceed equilibrium in the structure-vegetation relationship.

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19) The paved surface ground in a given development shall not exceed 45 percent of the

total development area, in order to support the natural system of drainage. Paved

surface ground includes structure foundations, driveways, patios, sidewalks, parking

areas and streets.

20) At least three of the following techniques shall be employed to limit the amount of

paved surface and further reduce interference with the natural drainage system:

a) Clustered design as previously described.

b) Grading of foundation area only, or open type foundations as previously

described.

c) Raised wood decks instead of concrete slabs for patios, driveways and parking.

d) Common driveways or cul-de-sacs, and narrow streets for access.

e) Elimination of paved sidewalks. Provision of street sidewalks should be a

response to need rather than to arbitrary policy.

f) Design of garage/parking space either under or over the structure depending on

whether the lot is uphill or downhill from the street.

B. CIRCULATION/PARKING

1) Street design in hillside areas should have the narrowest street width acceptable to the

City Engineer, based on the anticipated average daily traffic in a given development,

parking needs, safety considerations, probable vehicle speeds and limitations imposed

by sight distances, climate, terrain

and maintenance needs.

2) One-way street and split level

roads should be used wherever

possible to avoid excessive earth

moving and to reduce the amount

of paved surface which interferes

with natural drainage and

vegetation.

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3) Street design in hillside areas

should follow the natural

contours of the land in order

to avoid excessive cut and

fill, discourage speeding,

minimize erosion, create

more varied views, and

emphasize the hillside

topography.

Example: Good circulation "fits" the lay of the land It is less likely to be so visible as to destroy the character of the area. A well fitted circulation system permits more imaginative subdivisions and disturbing natural drainage patterns.

Example: A conventional development, where a number of lots are arbitrarily carved out of the site, demonstrates how a grid of straight lines superimposed on a curving hill may work on paper, but doesn't work on the site.

4) Where it is impossible to follow natural contours due to technical considerations (e.g.

soil/geologic conditions, length and purpose of street, etc.) the street design can be a

straight line on a curving hill.

Streets at right angles to contours can provide a panoramic view of Mission Trails

Park. As the grid plummets up and down the hills the views open out for everyone to

enjoy.

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5) Streets should be located on ridges or valleys to minimize cut and fill. If a street must

be located between a ridge and a valley, the following methods should be used:

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6) Streets should follow and/or end in views from the crest of hillsides. Wherever

possible, development facing the park should be set below road grade to preserve

public views of the park from the roadway.

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7) Aim streets directly at Mission Trails Park to create sightlines for maximum visual

impact.

8) Large parking requirements for a cluster development should be met with multiple

small parking areas, at different levels, rather than by a single, large parking area.

9) Individual unit parking requirements should be incorporated within the structure.

Wherever possible, use raised decks for driveways to protect natural drainage.

10) In multiple "step down" development, common parking areas or garages should be

located in the middle of the project. Pedestrian walkways should connect parking and

residential areas. Walkways with handrails may be essential in steep areas.

11) A pedestrian walkway system should be provided to ensure access to locations

offering unusual overlooks or other particularly interesting physical features.

Walkways in locations away from streets generally should be lighted and integrated

into the project enabling visual surveillance of the walkway from nearby residences.

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C. BUILDING DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

1) Irregular architectural edges should be used to interlock structures with hillside

contours and vegetation.

2) As seen on the face of the hillside or on the hilltop, buildings should appear higher

than they are wide.

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3) Development clusters should emphasize vertical lines in the exterior treatment of

structures consistent with the vertical character of the hillside.

4) The treatment of rooftops should be varied since the visual prominence of rooftops on

hillsides emphasizes monotony of materials, forms and colors. Rooftop utilities

should be avoided except for solar type improvements. Such improvements, however,

should be an integral part of roof design.

5) The mixture of residential types, although not necessarily possible or desirable in

every hillside development, does provide a richness of visual experience and should

be encouraged.

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SUBAREA 3 - MISSION GORGE AND THE SAN DIEGO RIVER PARK AREAS

POLICY: THE SAN DIEGO RIVER AREAS ADJACENT TO MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL

PARK SHOULD PROVIDE VISUAL LINKAGES TO AND FROM THE PARK AND THE

SAN DIEGO RIVER PARK MASTER PLAN SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE SAN

DIEGO RIVER AREAS.

A. The following design principles should shall apply to the western and eastern Mission Gorge

and San Diego River Park area and within Subarea 3 of the Mission Trails Design District:

1) When applicable, new developments adjacent to the San Diego River should be

setback 100 feet from the cliff face.

2) In the event property used for natural resource extraction is developed for uses not

directly related to such operations, the following principles should apply:

a. Development within the 100-year frequency flood contours should comply with

the regulations of applicable floodway and floodplain fringe zones, and Council

Policy 600-14 "Development Proposals within Floodplains."

b. Structures should be sited and designed to preserve public views of the San Diego

River from Mission Gorge Road.

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3) The rear elevations of buildings which face the San Diego River should be as well

detailed and visually interesting as the front elevations.

4) Structures should be designed to step back from the San Diego River's floodway so

that low-story buildings are adjacent to the river with the higher stories tiered away

from the river.

5) No parking area shall be located between the building wall line and the San Diego

River unless a landscaped buffer is provided between the parking area and the

required setback from the river.

1) Boundaries:

Includes the River Corridor Area and the River Influence Area. The River

Corridor Area is the 100 year floodway as mapped by Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA) plus a 35‟ wide path corridor on both sides

of the floodway. The River Influence Area is the first 200‟ feet directly

adjacent to the River Corridor Area on both sides of the river. The design

principles apply to any project fully or partially within these boundaries.

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Section and Plan View of River Corridor Area and River Influence Area

2) River Corridor Area

(a) Permitted Uses: Within the floodway permitted uses shall be per the Open Space

Base Zones of the Land Development Code (LDC). Floodway development shall be per

the Development Regulations for Special Flood Hazard Areas of the LDC. Within the 35‟

wide Path Corridor and outside the Multi-Habitat Planning Area (MHPA) boundary, uses

shall consist of the River Pathway and passive recreational uses that may include picnic

areas, scenic or interpretive overlooks, fitness stations, seating and educational exhibit

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areas. Any areas within the Path Corridor that are within the MHPA or a Wetland Buffer

are subject to the Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) Subarea Plan „Land

Use Considerations‟ and the Environmentally Sensitive Lands (ESL) Regulations for

Wetlands within the LDC.

(b) Grading: The River bottom and sides shall be natural or designed with natural

materials and sized to accommodate a 100 year flood as well as provide for ground water

recharge capability. The use of rock gabions and native stone on river side‟s to dissipate

flows shall include design features to provide for or preserve wildlife habitats and wildlife

corridors. The 35‟ wide Path Corridor shall be graded to avoid long, continuous engineered

slopes with hard edges. New slopes shall not exceed 3:1 gradient and shall provide smooth

transitions at the top and bottom of the slope.

(c) River Pathway: A 14‟ wide pedestrian and bicycle meandering River Pathway shall be

located within the Path Corridor. If the Path Corridor is located within the MHPA or a

Wetland Buffer then the River Pathway shall be located outside the MHPA and the

Wetland Buffer areas. The 14‟ wide River Pathway shall include the following features: 1)

A 10‟ wide River Pathway of concrete, porous concrete preferred, in a natural earth brown

or tan color: 2) A 2‟ wide shoulder area of decomposed granite or similar soft material

along each side of the 10‟ wide River Pathway, in colors consistent with the colors of the

River Pathway: 3) A 12‟ vertical clearance above finished grade of the 14‟ wide River

Pathway: and 4) A 10‟ wide minimum landscape area between the floodway and the River

Pathway.

(d) Trails: Can be provided in the River Corridor as a secondary pathway system for

pedestrians. Trails shall be a maximum of 5‟ wide (if located in the MHPA or in a Wetland

Buffer, trails shall be 4‟ wide) and made of soft material such as decomposed granite of a

natural earth color brown or tan color or suitable native soil preferred. There shall be an 8‟

vertical clearance above finished grade of the trail. Trails shall originate from the River

Pathway and loop back to the River Pathway so as not to create „dead end‟ trails.

(e) Picnic Areas and Overlooks: Shall be provided along the River Pathway at locations

at least every ½ mile that provide resting areas, educational and/or cultural locations.

Picnic areas and overlooks may include a combination of: picnic table(s), trash and

recycling receptacles, bicycle racks, shade structures, benches, interpretive signs and

drinking fountains.

(f) Lighting: Shall be provided along the River Pathway as necessary to provide for

security and personal safety. Light poles shall not exceed 12‟ in height. All lighting shall be

shielded and directed away from the river side of the River Pathway and floodway.

(g) Site Furniture: Shall be provided at picnic areas, overlooks and other locations that

compliment the design of the River Pathway. Site furniture shall be designed and

constructed in conformance with the San Diego River Park Master Plan Design Guidelines.

Parcels that do not have picnic tables or overlooks shall provide a minimum of one type of

site furniture for every 200‟ linear feet of the River Pathway.

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(h) Signs: Shall be designed in conformance with the San Diego River Park Master Plan

Design Guidelines and shall include the River Park Logo. Interpretive signs shall be

provided at educational and cultural overlooks along the River Pathway. Information

Kiosks shall be provided where the river pathway intersects public streets.

(i) Logo: The San Diego River Park Logo, as identified in the San Diego River Park

Master Plan Design Guidelines, shall be incorporated into all site furniture and signs.

(j) Fences: Shall be provided only as required to protect sensitive habitat and shall be

wood peeler log type with a maximum 4‟ in height.

(k) Plant Materials: The River Corridor Area shall be planted with a mixture of native

plants and trees that are consistent with the surrounding native habitat type. Non-native

grasses and lawn areas are allowed only within public parks located on the non-river side of

the River Pathway. Views within the River Corridor Area shall be maintained at the

pedestrian level along the river pathway by using tall canopy trees, rather than short bushy

trees. In addition, plant materials shall be selected and located so that „Visual Openings‟

with views to the river are provided along at least 50% of the river side of the River

Pathway of each parcel. Plant materials within the Visual Opening shall be selected based

on a maximum mature and natural growth habit of 30” in height,

3) River Influence Area

(a) Buildings Height and Setbacks: Buildings adjacent to the River Corridor Area shall

comply with the building height and setbacks requirements listed below unless the base

zone is more restrictive:

Building Height and Setbacks in the San Diego River Park Area

Minimum Building

Setback from River

Corridor(a)

Maximum Building Height within Setback

Area Building Wall Setback

10 feet(b) 35 feet Maximum of 50% may

be located at setback

20 feet 45 feet N/A

30 feet 70 feet N/A

70 feet 1 foot for each foot of building height N/A

115 feet Refer to underlying code N/A

Footnotes

(a) Where river and street setbacks overlap, the requirements of the River Corridor Area

setback shall apply.

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(b) Architectural features such as eaves, cornices, eyebrows, trellises, bay window

balconies, entry roofs and arbors, and fireplaces may extend a maximum of 4‟ into the 10‟

setback.

Section of Building Height and Setbacks

(b) Setbacks not identified Above: Refer to the underlying Zone.

(c) Off Setting Planes: Refer to the underlying Zone and the other Navajo CPIOZ

requirements of this plan.

(d) Building Massing Adjacent to the River: At 45‟ above finished grade, the narrow

façade of the building shall be oriented parallel to the river and the wider façade shall be

perpendicular to the river.

(e) Building Façade and Entry: Development that abuts the River Corridor Area shall

provide a river facing façade and entry that are of equal design and quality of materials as

the primary building façade and entry.

(f) Building Transparency: All building facades that face the River Corridor Area or that

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face a street that abuts the River Corridor Area shall comply with the following

transparency requirements as applicable: 1) Residential Zones at least 50% of the total

façade shall be transparent: 2) Commercial and Mixed Use Zones: At least 50% of the total

façade shall be transparent and at least 70% of the ground floor (between finished grade

and the full height of the first floor) shall be transparent: 3) Industrial Zones: At least 25%

of the total façade shall be transparent. Transparency can be: glass windows, display

windows, or windows affording views into retail, customer services, office, gallery, cafes,

lobby space or pedestrian entrances. The amount of transparency, measured as Visible

Light Transmittance (VTL), shall be a minimum of 0.65 VLT.

(g) Building Reflectivity: The amount of building reflectivity, measured as Visible

Light Reflectivity factor (VLR), shall not exceed 0.10 VLR for any materials that are used

on the facades of buildings that face the River.

(h) Exterior Equipment Enclosures, Outdoor Storage, Loading Areas and Refuse

Collection Areas: Shall be located a minimum of 100‟ from the River Corridor Area and

screened with landscape and an opaque wall at least 6‟ high, or one foot taller than the item

to be screened, to a maximum 10‟ in height. Screening material shall be the same design

and quality of materials as the primary landscape materials and building façade.

(i) Off Street Surface Parking: Shall be screened from the River Corridor Area consistent

with either of the following: 1) Screening shall consist of residential or commercial

structures or both: or 2) Off street surface parking to be 100‟ from the River Corridor with

screening consisting of landscaping and a 6‟ high opaque wall of the same design and

quality of materials as the primary landscape and building façade.

(j) Parking Structures: Facades of parking structures that face the River Corridor Area

shall be screened with permitted residential or commercial structures, or both for the full

height and width of the parking structure.

(k) Streets that Abut the River Corridor Area: Shall be the minimum width necessary

to meet the requirements of the Street Design Manual of the LDC. Curb cut widths and

driveways shall be minimized where possible. On-street parking shall be provided in

clusters of parking bays along the river side of the street to allow views of the river.

(l) Building Access to the River Corridor Area: Development on parcels that abut the

River Corridor Area shall provide building access pathways connecting the primary

structure with the River Pathway consistent with the following: One building access

pathway for every 300 linear feet of river frontage, or fraction thereof. The building access

pathway shall be to the primary building entrance or to a secondary entrance designed to

the same quality of materials as the primary entrance.

(m) Public Access Pathway Across Development Site: Development on parcels that abut

the River Corridor Area shall provide public access pathways connecting the public street

and the River Pathway consistent with the following: At least one public pathway shall be

provided for every 1,000 linear feet of river frontage, or fraction thereof. The public access

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pathway shall be designed to the same quality of materials as the primary on site pathways.

A public access pathway sign at the public street right-of-way and at the intersection of the

River Pathway shall be provided to identify the entry to the public access pathway.

(n) Public Access Pathway from Streets that Abut the River Corridor: A public access

pathway shall connect the public street right-of-way to the River Pathway at every street

intersection, and at a minimum provide connections every 1,000‟ of street frontage along

the River Corridor Area.

(o) Lighting: All lighting within 100‟ of the River Corridor Area shall be shielded and

directed away from the River Corridor Area.

(p) Fences (Walls): Within the 10‟ building setback area only the following fences are

permitted: 1) A solid fence not to exceed 3‟ in height: 2) A 75% open fence not to exceed 6‟

in height; or 3) a combination of a 3‟ high solid fence topped with a 3‟ high 75% open

fence.

(q) Signs: Shall be in conformance with the Sign Regulations of the LDC and in addition

meet the following: 1) Within the first 100‟ of the River Influence Area, signs shall be

located no higher than 15‟ above finished grade: 2) On the river side of the building, all

ground signs between a building and the River Corridor Area shall be monument signs and

not exceed 5‟ in height and shall be located within a landscape area at least of an equivalent

size to the sign face: 3) All signs on the river side of the building shall be either face lighted

or internally lighted.

(r) Public Access Pathway Sign: Shall be mounted on a metal pole at least 4‟ above finish

grade and clearly visible from the street right-of-way. Sign shall be made of metal, such as

aluminum, with a minimum size of 18” wide by 24” tall. Sign face to read “Public Access

Pathway to the San Diego River” and include the San Diego River Park Logo. The sign

letters shall be a minimum of three inches in height.

(s) Plant Materials: Shall transition from native species materials within the River

Corridor Area to non-invasive drought tolerant plant species in the River Influence Area.

B. The City-owned portion of the eastern Mission Gorge area within Subarea 3 of the

Mission Trials Design District should be retained as an open space linkage to the

Regional Park, and for future inclusion in the San Diego River Regional Park System.

C. The privately-owned portion of the eastern Mission Gorge area within Subarea 3 of the

Mission Trails Design District should conform to the following principles.

1) Development within the 100-year frequency flood contours should comply with the

regulations of applicable floodway and floodplain fringe zones, and Council Policy

600-14 "Development Proposals within Floodplains."

2) Structures should be located in park-like surroundings.

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